Refrigerator



sept. 9, 1924. l 1,507,940

T. THORSON ET AL REFRIGERATOR Original Filed Sept.' 13. 1921- @y f 4 JUW- Patented sept. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

THORW AID THORSON, 0F FOREST. CITY, AND 0. THORSON, 0F AKRON,y IOWA.

REFBIIGERATOR.

To all whom t may conce/m:

Be it known that we, THORWALD THoRsoN and EDWIN O. THonsoN, citizens of vthe United States. and residents of Forest City and Akron, in the counties of Winnebago and Plymouth and State of Iowa, respectively, have inventeda certain new and useful :'[mproved Refrigerator, of which the following is a specication.

v The object of our invention -is to provide' 'e a simple, durable and `comparatively inexpensive device `for handling brick ice cream and similar articles in connection with a refrigerator container, in such a manner that the bricks may be easily and quickly removed from the container without admitting warm air to the container.

A further object is to provide an attachment which maybe installed in refrigerators in the nature of a magazine in which cartons of ice cream or similar` articles may be placed within the refrigerator, and when so placed they may be withdrawn one at a time without having to open the refrigerator ,25 door, the withdrawing device being so arranged that a compara-tively small amount of warm air will be admitted by the operation of said withdrawing device.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

p Our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims,

and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a refrigerator with our improved device installed.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.y

Figure 3 is. an enlarged detail sectional,v

view taken on the line 3 3 ofFigure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on'the 35 line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view 'taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 3.

The numeral 10 indicates the walls of aY refrigerator which is preferably provided with a chamber 11 at its bottom, anda chamber 12 at its top.- The chamber 11 is pilplvided with a refrigerating device .13. E@ 's device is provided with opstanding This application led February 7,7'

pipes 14 whicht are in communication /Iwith 'the cooling member 15. This cooling 'member is mounted on the interior of the chamber 12 and at -its back portion.

The chamber 12 is provided with a door 16 which is constructed similar to those of the ordinary refrigerators. A door 17 is provided inthe walls of the lower chamber 11 through which the operator may adjust the machinery of the device 13. The refrigerator 13 and the cooling member 15 may be of any ordinary construction, and form no part of my present invention. Ice might be substituted for the cooling member 15 if it is so desired.

- In front of the member 15 we have provided vertical guide members 18 and 19, so arranged and spaced that they will form a series of vhoppers in which cartons of ice cream may be placed.

` The members 18 are provided with aat Y portion 20, each edge of which is provided with a rearwardly extending flange 21. The back edge of the iange 2 1 is provided with a laterally extending portion 22, the members 21 and 22 being designed to receive the corners of the carton" and to form guide members therefor, as the said cartons are moved downwardly.'y

The members 19 are each provided .with aiat'portion 23, each of its edges havinga rearwardly extending portion 24, the said portion 24 beingv designed to engage the front side edges of the carton. The members 24 are in line with the members 21, and the members 23 being of a width equal to the width of the member 20. Any number of these members l18 and 19 may be mounted in the refrigerator as desired.

By this'arrangement it will be seenthat the members 18 and 19 may be made to form a sort of hopper in which a series of cartons of ice cream or similar articles may be "placed by being moved rearwardly' between the members 24 until they engage the member 22 and between the members 21.

Slidably mounted on the bottom of the chamber 12 and between each set of members 19 and 20, we have provided a drawer v25. This drawer 25 is provided with' a bottom, and side members 26, a back end member 2'?v and a front end member 28. The back end member 27 is provided with a block of heat Y insulating material 29, this block being rothe purpose of which will hereinafter be made clear;

The front end member 28 is provided with a heat insulating block 31, and also with a handle 32. The said drawer 25 is slidably mounted in an opening 33, the said opening and the member 28 being provided with suitable seal plates`34 so arranged as to interlock each other when the .member 28 is within the opening 33.

The Vdrawer 25 is of a width slightly greater than the width of the bricks, and so arranged that the bricks on the magazine may enter between the said members 26, and just in front of the member 32 when the drawer is in its inward limit ofmovement.

The space between the members l19 and the front walls of the refrigerator is provided with a horizontally arranged tube 35a, the upper plate 35 being secured at a point just above the top'edge of the members` 28 and 31, and provided at its rear edge with an upwardly and forwardly extending iange 36, t-his fiange 36 being so arranged as to form a guide plate for the cartons as they descend between the guide members 18- and 19, and to force any brick that should not be against the members 22 backwardly.

The tube 35 forms a seal to prevent'warm air fromfentering the chamber 12, as will hereinafter be more fully set forth.

By the arrangement just described, it will be seen that if the handle 32 is grasped and the drawer 25 is drawn outwardly, that the carton within the drawer would also be drawn out through the tube 35, but some means must be provided. for holding the rest of the bricks againstdownward movement while this outward movement of the drawer takes place.

To accomplish this, we have provided two parallel and horizontally arranged rock .shafts 37 and 38, which are -rotatively mounted in the members 20 and 23, 'as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4,l the shaft 38 being. longer than the shaft 37 and designed to extend forwardly through 'the front walls of the chamber 10, and at a "point above the drawers 25:"

-The forwardend of each of the shafts 38 is provided-With a handle 39 arranged preferably in a horizontal positiomas clearly shown in Fi e 1, so arranged that as the said handle 1s moved upwardly and downwardly, a rotary movement may be imparted to the shaft 38. j

The forward end of the shaft 37 is mounted in the' forward wall of the container 12. The forward end of the shaft 37 is provided with a bell crank lever 40. :i

Each of the shafts 38 is provided with a rock arm 41 adjacent to the forward wall of the chamber 12. This rock arm extends downwardly and is provided with a pivotally connected link 42, the opposite end of which is` pivoted yto the upwardly extending arm of the bell crank 40, as clearly shown in Vprovided with a grooved roller 44. The

groove of the roller 44 is designed to rest normally on the edge of a notch 45 in one of the plates 26, as clearly shown in Figure 4. The member 43 is slidably mounted in the top member of the tube 35a.

The bell crank 40 and the plate35 form bearings which will permit the rod 43 t0 slide vertically, but will prevent the roller 44 from being moved in a horizontal plane. This forms a lock device which will prevent the drawer 25 from being opened except when the handle 39 is elevated, vin which case the roller 44 will be drawn out of the notch 45, and will rest on the upper edge of the member 26 after the drawer has been slightly moved forwardly.l

Each of the rods 37 and 38 is" provided at its central'portion between the members 18 and 19 with what we shall term a clutch device for holding the column of cartons and upwardly extending curved portion 50.

l This member 50 is designed to be 'engaged by a pin 51 extending radially from the shaft 38 in suclra manner that as the said shaft 38' is rotated, the pin 51 will be lmoved laterally causing the link 47 to be rocked about the pivot with which it is connected to the arm 46, and the block 48 moved inwardly and outwardly. Movement is imparted to the arm 46 bythe pins 51 and the pins 52 extending from the member 46;

The free end of link 47 is yieldably held l to its outward limit of movement by means of a spring 53, one end of which is made to partially surround the shaft 37, while the other is designed to engage the pin. 54 extending from the link 47, as clearly shown in Figure 5. Y

The blocks 48 are designed to rest normally with their faces adjacent to the side faces of the second carton of ice cream from the bottom of the column when they rest in the drawer 25, as clearly shown in Figure 4, the said blocks' being yieldably held in contact with'the said faces of the springs 53.

The operation of our device is as follows:

Assuming that theoperator wishes to -vfill the magazine 'with brick ice cream or any material which may be in rectangular cartons, and it is desired to keep it cool, he opens the door 16 and places the cartons endways between the `flanges 24 of the members 19, and moves them rearwardly until the rear end o said cartons engage the flanges 22. As many of these cartons cr bricks may be placed in the guides as is desired until they are iilled, after which the door 16 may be closed and does not need to be opened until after the magazine has been emptied.

The drawers 25 should always be in the'r closed position, in which. case the bottom carton or brick of ea ch vertical column will rest in a corresponding drawer.

In actual practicethe device is considered emptied when but only vthe two bottom bricks or cartons remain in the column, as this eliminates the necessity of having to place the cartons in between the blocks 48 as is necessary the first time the device is filled, as this will be taken care of automatically thereafter.

If it is desired to remove one of the cartons, the lever 39 is elevated, which will cause the shaft 38 to be rocked, and also the corresponding shaft 37 by the corresponding link 42. These shafts will be rotated-in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows in Figures 5 and 6. This movement will cause the lower ends of the arms 46 to be elevated, which in turn will cause the blocks 48 to beelevated, and the cartons or bricks between the said blocks elevated, and the `entire column of bricks above the said brick to also be elevated. This elevation need be only enough to relieve the pressure from the brick within the drawer 25.

As the handle `39 is elevated,'the handle 32 is grasped with the opposite hand and the drawer 25 pulled outwardly. The upper edge of the member 26 will then extend beneath the roller 44 and lock the members 48 in contactwith the cartons. The drawer 25 may then be moved outwardly to its extreme limit of movement and the carton within the drawer moved outwardly, after which the carton may be removed when the drawer is at its outward limit of movement. The member 29 will rest in the opening 33 and thereby prevent the cool air within the chamber from escaping and warm air from entering. When the brick has been removed, the drawewr` 25 may then be pushed back into the chamber 12. The roller 44 will then drop in the notch 45 which will cause the pin 51 to engage the member 56, and the blocks 48- to be released from the sides of the carton. The cartons will then be permitted to drop to the bottom of the drawer 25 :The drawers 25 will'also be locked against outward movement until the lever 36 has been actuated, thereby providing a safety a position outside. of the chamber, a magazine. in said chamber adapted to contain a vertical column of cartons in such a manner that the bottom carton of said column will rest in said drawer when it is in its inner limit of movement, means for gripping a portion ofthe cartons in said column and slightly elevating them and retaining-them in the elevated position as the said drawer is moved to its outward-limit of movement, and means outside of said chamber for operating the last said means. l

2. A cooling chamber having an opening communicating with its interior, a carrier slidably mounted in said opening to slide from a position within the chamber to a position outside of the chamber, a magazlne having one end in communication with the carrier and adapted to contain a vertical column of cartons in such a manner that the bottom carton of the column will rest in said' carrier when in its inner limit of movement, means for gripping a portion of the cartons4 in said column to slightly elevate them and retain them in said elevated position as the said carrier is moved to its outer limit of movement, and means outside of said chamber for operating the last said means.

3. A cooling chamber having an opening communicating with its interior, a magazine within the container designed to receive a vertical column of cartons, a carrier for moving one of the cartons of said column through the said opening, means for elevatingand retaining a portion of the cartons o said magazine in a slightly elevated position while the carrier is being actuated, andA means outside of the container foractuating 'the last said means.

4. A cooling chamber having an opening communicating with its interior, a magazine within the container designed to receive a vertical column of cartons, a carrier for moving one of the cartons of said column through the said opening, means for elevating and retaining a portion of the cartonsof said magazine in'a slightly elevated position While the carrier is .being actuated, means outside of the container for actuating the last said means, and means actuated by the cartons elevating means to lock the carrier in its inner limit of movement.

5. A cooling chamber having a pair of openings communicating with its interior, a

adapted to be moved from a position within .door for one of said openings, a carrierv container, throughthe last said opening, and to close the said openin when 'it is in its inner and outer limit o movement, means for supporting a vertical column of cartons in operative relation with said carrier in such a manner that the lower ones may be successively removed, means for gripping and supporting a portion of the cartons of said column against downward movement as the lower one of saidscartons is being removed, and means on theoutside of said container forfactuating the last said means and' for locking the said carrier against movement when it is in its inner limit of movethrough which material may be placed in.

the chamber, a door for said opening, the

said chamber being provided with a series of smaller openings, adrawer for each of said smaller openings adaptedto be moved from a position within said chamber to an outwardly extendin vertical guide memers -for each of said drawers arranged to slidably receive a vertical column of cartons in such a manner that the lower one of said cartons will rest in said drawer, clamping means for engaging the -second carton from the bottom, and means for actuating said clamping means in such a manner that the said second carton will be slightlyv elevated and retained against downward movement as the said drawer is moved to its outer limit of movement.

THGRWALD THORSON. EDWIN O. THORSON.

position, a group of.` 

